17-Year-Old Charged with Criminal Mischief After Allegedly Causing Train Derailment in Nebraska

The teen was charged in Lancaster County Juvenile Court with two felony counts of criminal mischief on Wednesday, July 24

A 17-year-old has been accused of causing a train derailment that happened in Nebraska in April.

The teenager — who has not been identified due to his age — was charged in Lancaster County Juvenile Court with two felony counts of criminal mischief on Wednesday, July 24, according to local media outlets NTV News, KLKN-TV and KOLN-TV.

Prosecutors also filed a motion to have the teen’s case transferred from juvenile to adult court, according to NBC News.  

According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the outlets, BNSF Railway officials were notified around 6:10 p.m. local time on April 21 that two of their locomotives and five rail cars derailed near Monroe and Juniper streets in Bennet after colliding with an empty rail car. The derailment caused an estimated $350,000 in damages.

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The train’s conductor told a BNSF Railway investigator that he noticed a switch that was misaligned, which led the train to veer onto an industry track instead of its scheduled route. He had attempted to initiate an emergency stop but was unable to do so before the switch's location, leading to the derailment, the outlets reported. 

When investigators went to investigate the track, they found that a switch was in the wrong position and its lock had been missing, leading them to believe that it had been “tampered with,” according to NTV News and KLKN-TV.

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The teen, who described himself as a “railroad enthusiast” who captured videos of trains to post on social media, reported the incident to authorities. He was there at the scene when investigators arrived and asked them questions about the derailment. He also told them that he captured the whole thing on video, the outlets reported.

An investigator noted, per KOLN-TV, that the boy denied trespassing in the area, but knew the location of the switch and how it worked.

Three days later, investigators obtained security footage showing a beige 1996 Buick Park Avenue driving nearby before the teen got out and headed in the direction of the switch. He then appeared back on camera, returning to his car and driving off, NTV News reported. 

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Footage then captured him parking his car and setting up his video recording equipment near the crossing right before the train derailment occurred, according to NTV News and KLKN-TV.

Investigators noted in the affidavit, according to KLKN-TV, that they wanted to search the 17-year-old’s recording equipment and cell phone for possible evidence linking him to the crime. 

A spokesperson for the BNSF confirmed to PEOPLE that an arrest has been made but had no further comment due to the ongoing investigation.

The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 

Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon told KOLN-TV that the teenager was not currently in custody. His next court date is still to be determined, according to the outlet.

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